First Read: The GOP Establishment's Risky Bet on Trump — First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter. — The GOP establishment's risky bet on Trump — Former Sen. and GOP presidential …

Bernie Sanders, and Simon and Garfunkel, Put Focus on Voters — With the help of the Simon and Garfunkel song “America,” Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has released a powerful 60-second commercial in Iowa that seeks to remind his supporters how far he, and they, have come — and to inspire them anew to caucus for him on Feb. 1.

Pentagon releases al Qaeda bomb expert from Guantánamo — The Pentagon on Thursday announced the transfer of two Guantánamo detainees, including an al Qaeda explosives expert who developed bombs to target U.S. forces. — Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed al-Sawah, 58, was transferred to Bosnia, where he holds citizenship.

The Bush blame game begins — They think he wasted money on everything from an iPad-sized video mailer to direct mail for donors in states that don't yet matter. They think his attacks on Marco Rubio are doing more harm than good. And they worry that, at the end, all he will have accomplished …

Bill Clinton questions Hillary's Super Tuesday plan — Bill Clinton is getting nervous. — With polls showing Bernie Sanders ahead in New Hampshire and barely behind, if at all, in Iowa, the former president is urging his wife to start looking toward the delegate-rich March primaries …

Vets: Don't Blame Obama for Track Palin's Behavior — Don't blame President Obama for the PTSD that Sarah Palin claims her oldest son is battling. — That was the message Wednesday from the head of a New York City-based veteran's organization that has fought for years to get Iraq …

The smoking gun? — Special Access Programs (SAP) is a game changer. It is now undeniably clear that the results of the FBI investigation will be the end of one of two things: Hillary's bid for the White House or the legitimacy of the FBI—at least when it comes to prosecuting cases on the mishandling of classified material.